They were now searching a vast expanse of sea to the west of Qiongying Island, tens of thousands of miles away from the island itself.
A few days prior, a group of cultivators had been ambushed by an eighth-level Blue Flood Dragon in this very area. Though it seemed unlikely that such a cunning beast would linger nearby, the Nanhai Sect had still dispatched their group to conduct another sweep, just in case there were any unexpected gains.
In front of so many people, Han Li naturally refrained from fully unleashing his divine sense to avoid arousing suspicion from the Nascent Soul cultivator leading them. Instead, he limited his spiritual perception to a radius of ten miles over the sea—enough to detect any signs of the vicious dragon in advance and prevent a surprise attack.
The dozen or so cultivators advanced by flight. Despite the vastness of the area, they managed to cover most of it within half a day, just as planned. However, as expected, they found nothing.
“What’s that?” A cultivator flying at the front suddenly exclaimed in shock.
Han Li, who had been carefully scanning the sea, raised his head at the sound. In the distance, a massive rolling cloud of gray demonic mist, spanning several acres, was slowly advancing toward them.
“Excellent! There must be a high-level demonic beast inside—don’t let it escape!” The group erupted in excitement, with one cultivator shouting in delight.
“Something’s off. Those vicious dragons usually flee at the sight of us. Why would they approach us now? Could this be a trap?” Another cultivator, more cautious, voiced his doubts.
The Nascent Soul cultivator leading them—a burly middle-aged man clad in golden robes—frowned at their words. His gaze instinctively swept the surroundings, and his expression abruptly changed. “Be careful! More demonic beasts are approaching from other directions!”
At this warning, the cultivators panicked, hastily summoning their magic treasures and assuming defensive stances as they scanned the horizon. Yet, the sky was clear in all directions, with no trace of any demonic beasts.
Just as some exchanged bewildered glances and prepared to question the leader, piercing dragon roars echoed from all sides. In the distance, swirling clouds of multicolored demonic mist emerged, churning violently as the sinuous forms of Flood Dragons became faintly visible—their bodies covered in jagged scales—closing in rapidly.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. From the east and west, two clouds of demonic mist, several times larger than the others, appeared—one a vivid blue, the other a blazing red.
“Impossible! Two eighth-level demonic beasts?” At such close range, the cultivators could immediately sense the terrifying aura emanating from these two clouds. One of them paled and cried out in horror.
The others also turned ashen-faced, their eyes filled with panic. Clearly, the Flood Dragons had somehow summoned another eighth-level ally and were no longer content with ambushing them one by one. Instead, they had turned the tables, intending to wipe out the entire group in one fell swoop.
“Stay calm! Send out messenger talismans to the other groups for help and prepare to engage. If these Flood Dragons gather and unleash their full power, their strength will only multiply. Don’t even think about fleeing separately—with their water-based movement techniques, they’ll pick us off one by one!” The Nascent Soul cultivator barked sharply, maintaining his composure.
Hearing this, the Core Formation cultivators steadied themselves, and several immediately released messenger talismans that shot into the sky.
“I’ll handle one of the eighth-level Flood Dragons. As for the other, which two of you are agile enough to delay it? You don’t need to fight head-on—just buy us some time. The rest of you, deal with the seventh-level Flood Dragons,” the leader commanded sternly.
But this time, the cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.
Fighting seventh-level Flood Dragons was manageable—most of them, though no match in single combat, still had some confidence in self-preservation. But sending two of them to stall an eighth-level beast? That was practically a death sentence! Even delaying such a creature would be nearly impossible for ordinary cultivators.
“If two won’t do, then three!” the Nascent Soul leader added impatiently.
Before his words even settled, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air, stunning everyone. An unremarkable-looking cultivator suddenly erupted with an overwhelming aura, transforming into a blinding streak of cyan light that shot straight toward the fiery red cloud.
“A Nascent Soul cultivator—and at the mid-stage at that!” The group erupted in a mix of shock and elation.
The golden-robed leader was momentarily stunned before breaking into a relieved grin. Had the Nanhai Sect anticipated this and secretly assigned another Nascent Soul cultivator to their group?
Before he could ponder further, the demonic clouds were nearly upon them. With no time to waste, the leader spun in place, transforming into a streak of blue light as he charged toward the blue demonic mist.
Encouraged by the presence of two Nascent Soul cultivators handling the eighth-level beasts, the others rallied, transforming into streaks of light as they intercepted the remaining demonic clouds.
Soon, brilliant flashes of spiritual light erupted in all directions, accompanied by thunderous explosions.
Unlike the others, Han Li remained motionless within the demonic mist, encased in a layer of faint purple ice flames. Around him, a sea of infernal fire crackled and hissed—though compared to the earth-shaking battles elsewhere, it was almost serene.
Several dozen feet away, a half-human, half-dragon demonic beast stood within a pillar of flames, glaring coldly at him. Though its form resembled a man, its body was covered in crimson crystalline scales the size of fists, each emitting tendrils of red fire.
“So it really is a Crimson Flood Dragon. I came just in time. An eighth-level Crimson Fire Dragon—far stronger than the seventh-level one I expected. I imagine your scales will be far more effective,” Han Li remarked with a faint smile.
“You came for me?” The demonic beast’s eyes flashed with green light as it bared rows of razor-sharp teeth, its voice sending chills down the spine. The surrounding flames surged higher, intensifying the oppressive aura.
Despite its fearsome appearance, the beast was inwardly uneasy.
This human cultivator who had charged in was not only a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator but also wielded an unfathomable ice-based purple flame that effortlessly countered its own fire-based techniques, nullifying most of its abilities.
Moreover, something about Han Li’s calm demeanor filled it with an inexplicable dread—a premonition of impending doom.
“I heard there was only a seventh-level Crimson Fire Dragon here. Now that you’ve shown up, the little one no longer interests me. But since you’ve already taken human form, I’m not particularly inclined to kill you. How about this—if you willingly give me a few of your lifebound scales from your neck and leave with your kin, I’ll spare you. What do you say?” Han Li chuckled lightly, his tone casual.
“Give you my lifebound scales? You dare!” The Flood Dragon’s fury erupted like a volcano.
Lifebound scales were innate to Flood Dragons from birth, varying in number. Over time, these scales absorbed their essence and spiritual power, becoming second only to their demonic cores in importance. Losing them would halve its cultivation instantly—an unbearable thought.
With a furious roar, the dragon twisted within the pillar of flames. A soft *pop* echoed as the fire dispersed, revealing a massive crimson Flood Dragon, nearly thirty feet long and several feet thick, now hovering in the flames. All caution forgotten, it lunged at Han Li, intent on tearing him apart and reducing him to ashes.
The moment it revealed its true form, it opened its maw and spewed a stream of molten, lava-like liquid straight at Han Li.
Han Li’s brow arched slightly. “Condensing fire into liquid? Impressive. But it seems I’ll have to handle this myself.”
Despite his calm words, he didn’t dare underestimate the attack. With a tap to the back of his head, he spat out a snow-white, crystalline pearl—the Frost Crystal Pearl, a frost-attribute treasure he had refined.
The pearl expanded to the size of a fist mid-flight, and with a low chant from Han Li, it unleashed a torrent of purple flames that coalesced into a ten-foot-long violet fire dragon, clutching the pearl in its maw.
The purple dragon wasted no time, darting forward to clash with the crimson liquid.
A sharp hissing filled the air as plumes of white steam erupted, obscuring the battle. Within the mist, the violet dragon could be seen forcing the molten stream back with bursts of purple flame from the pearl.
The Crimson Flood Dragon’s eyes flickered with fear before hardening with murderous intent. Its body flared with red light as it let out a piercing shriek.
The sea of flames around Han Li surged violently, giving rise to towering waves of fire that crashed down from both sides.
Han Li smirked, rubbing his hands together before spreading them outward.
A brilliant purple flash erupted in front of him, accompanied by a crystalline chime. Two towering ice peaks, each thirty feet high and shimmering with violet light, erupted from the ground, blocking the fiery onslaught.
At the same time, the Flood Dragon in the distance suddenly shrank to a third of its size—now only ten feet long.
With a sharp *whoosh*, it halted its fiery breath and shot toward Han Li like a crimson arrow, crossing the distance in an instant. Its claws extended, poised to strike.
Realizing its fire-based attacks were ineffective, it had decided to rely on its monstrous physical strength to tear Han Li apart in close combat.
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